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View Full Version : Visconti Rembrandt Red Calligraphy Set - Good Deal?



inlovewithjournals
May 15th, 2014, 03:28 PM
I received an email from Goldspot Luxury Gifts to let me know what their weekly special is: The Visconti Rembrandt Red Calligraphy Set. (http://www.goldspot.com/Visconti_pens/Rembrandt_Calligraphy/V-57190.html)

The set includes 1 Visconti Rembrandt Fountain Pen with two nibs: a 0.5mm steel italic and a 1.5mm steel italic with converters. Also included is a bottle of ink and a small package of blotting cloths. They claim the regular price is $295 and this weekly special is $120.

Seems too good to be true. I've tried the Rembrandt in my local pen shop and it's lovely. It was also $200 CAD. Even with shipping the Goldspot offer is less than that. I've always wanted a Visconti and I'm tempted. Thoughts? As a relative newbie to fountain pens I rely on the experts here. Thanks in advance for any and all advice. :)

Lady Onogaro
May 15th, 2014, 04:22 PM
Hi, inlovewithjournals,

I saw that advertisement, too.

My husband bought me a Visconti Rembrandt a couple of weeks ago when we were in Houston at Dromgoole's. He paid $100.00 for it, or thereabouts. The nib on mine was pretty smooth as a broad (but I asked their nib guy to regrind it for me to an extra fine). It's a lovely pen in my hand.

So I would think that $120 for the set is a good deal, especially with the two nibs, the bottle of ink, the converters, and the blotting cloths thrown in. Plus, I believe shipping is free when you purchase something(s) over $49.00.

I hope this helps.

Murfie
May 15th, 2014, 04:37 PM
So I would think that $120 for the set is a good deal
I agree wholeheartedly.

Bogon07
May 15th, 2014, 06:01 PM
I think you will find the 0.5mm steel nib is an extra fine point with a stiff "flex/spring" not an italic. And the grips will probably be black plastic.
A pretty good price & with a decent size bottle of ink too.

The red Rembrandt resin looks very nice.

Murfie
May 15th, 2014, 06:23 PM
I think you will find the 0.5mm steel nib is an extra fine point with a stiff "flex/spring" not an italic.
While I won't refute this, as the nib is not a full italic, my own 0.5mm nib has a horizontal line very slightly thinner than the vertical, so there is slight 'italicisation'. This may be just specific to mine as I only have the one to go on, and other similar nibs may not be the same. Could other members comment if they have one as well?

Bogon07
May 15th, 2014, 07:53 PM
I have not noticed any appreciable italiciness with the nib at all. I'll have a closer look tonight to see if I can imagine any.

The booklet that comes with the set says:
"The Calligraphy Set contains:
- A medium-fine nib for contemporary stylographic writing (only if you get the 3 nib set)
*- An extra-fine, highly elastic nib for English Script
- A firm, square 1.5 mm nib for Italic or Gothic Script
- An inkwell
- A set of plastified blotting paper to clean your nibs without getting your fingers dirty
- Two magnetic stands to hold the nibs between one exercise and the next"

The magnetic nib holders are the two black circles you can see on the bottom corners of the box insert.

Murfie
May 15th, 2014, 08:14 PM
Bogon was right. I was imagining that the horizontal line width was a tad narrower than the vertical.

inlovewithjournals
May 15th, 2014, 08:43 PM
Thanks everyone, I knew you lot would help me decide! I think I will order it, italic nib or extra fine, it matters not to me, but I appreciate the info.

Lady Onogaro, the free shipping over $49.00 is only for continental US, as when I added it to my cart and went through the steps to see what the shipping would be, I was given a range of prices and options.

Thank you Murfie and Bogon07 for the detail about the nib and the magnets (cool!) and also the line demonstration. I'm excited now; I will order it tonight! :)

Lady Onogaro
May 15th, 2014, 08:47 PM
Thanks everyone, I knew you lot would help me decide! I think I will order it, italic nib or extra fine, it matters not to me, but I appreciate the info.

Lady Onogaro, the free shipping over $49.00 is only for continental US, as when I added it to my cart and went through the steps to see what the shipping would be, I was given a range of prices and options.

Thank you Murfie and Bogon07 for the detail about the nib and the magnets (cool!) and also the line demonstration. I'm excited now; I will order it tonight! :)

Sorry about the shipping error; I neglected to see your location. I hope it wasn't too expensive. But even with the shipping, I think you are getting a pretty good deal. You will have to give us a writing sample when you get a chance to play around with it. :)

VertOlive
May 15th, 2014, 08:48 PM
this seems quite a reasonable deal, and the red acrylic is very appealing.

cwent2
May 15th, 2014, 08:49 PM
Thanks everyone, I knew you lot would help me decide! I think I will order it, italic nib or extra fine, it matters not to me, but I appreciate the info.

Lady Onogaro, the free shipping over $49.00 is only for continental US, as when I added it to my cart and went through the steps to see what the shipping would be, I was given a range of prices and options.

Thank you Murfie and Bogon07 for the detail about the nib and the magnets (cool!) and also the line demonstration. I'm excited now; I will order it tonight! :)

You will be delighted, with enablers such as Murfie, and Bogon07 on your side you are in good company. I love my Tracy Lee, Bogon07 enabled Visconti Rembrandt Ivory medium steel nib - Nice smooth writer - Good Luck

Cw

inlovewithjournals
May 15th, 2014, 09:05 PM
Sorry about the shipping error; I neglected to see your location. I hope it wasn't too expensive. But even with the shipping, I think you are getting a pretty good deal. You will have to give us a writing sample when you get a chance to play around with it. :)

You are right Lady Onogaro; even with the shipping it is still well under what I would have paid for the pen alone in my local shop. I forgot to congratulate you on your new Visconti in my original post; nice husband! I have to say the same for mine; I showed it to him and he reminded me our wedding anniversary is coming up, and presto chango he just bought me a beautiful anniversary present! :) I will definitely post a writing sample when I receive it.

inlovewithjournals
May 15th, 2014, 09:08 PM
this seems quite a reasonable deal, and the red acrylic is very appealing.

I agree VertOlive, I love the red. They do have other sets with different coloured pens, selling for $157.50. Looks like only the red is on sale.

inlovewithjournals
May 15th, 2014, 09:11 PM
You will be delighted, with enablers such as Murfie, and Bogon07 on your side you are in good company. I love my Tracy Lee, Bogon07 enabled Visconti Rembrandt Ivory medium steel nib - Nice smooth writer - Good Luck

Cw

Thanks Cw, totally agree with you! And I think I've had a letter or two written by you with your Visconti Rembrandt Ivory - beautiful writer! :)

Bogon07
May 15th, 2014, 09:43 PM
Inlovewithjournals - congratulations on your red Visconti. As they say in Australia "the red ones go fasta" so you will be able to rip through your correspondence.



You will be delighted, with enablers such as Murfie, and Bogon07 on your side you are in good company. I love my Tracy Lee, Bogon07 enabled Visconti Rembrandt Ivory medium steel nib - Nice smooth writer - Good Luck

Cw

Thanks Cw, totally agree with you! And I think I've had a letter or two written by you with your Visconti Rembrandt Ivory - beautiful writer! :)

Hi Carl,
I can't recall but is your Ivory Rembrandt a solid ivory colour or does it have some swirls or streaks of other colours through it ?

cwent2
May 15th, 2014, 09:47 PM
Inlovewithjournals - congratulations on your red Visconti. As they say in Australia "the red ones go fasta" so you will be able to rip through your correspondence.



You will be delighted, with enablers such as Murfie, and Bogon07 on your side you are in good company. I love my Tracy Lee, Bogon07 enabled Visconti Rembrandt Ivory medium steel nib - Nice smooth writer - Good Luck

Cw

Thanks Cw, totally agree with you! And I think I've had a letter or two written by you with your Visconti Rembrandt Ivory - beautiful writer! :)

Hi Carl,
I can't recall but is your Ivory Rembrandt a solid ivory colour or does it have some swirls or streaks of other colours through it ?

Swirls or streaks of a darker brownish red gives it a bone effect sorta kinda if you follow....

cw

Bogon07
May 15th, 2014, 10:47 PM
Thanks CW. A lot of photos seem to show the Ivory as a solid gloss as they did with the black but as you see in Murfie's excellent photos it ain't true.

cwent2
May 15th, 2014, 10:57 PM
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5480/12706066424_ac359a3698.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/kmMUSL)DSCN1257 (https://flic.kr/p/kmMUSL) by cwent2 (https://www.flickr.com/people/99367074@N04/), on Flickr

inlovewithjournals
May 16th, 2014, 08:48 AM
Inlovewithjournals - congratulations on your red Visconti. As they say in Australia "the red ones go fasta" so you will be able to rip through your correspondence.

Thank you Bogon. My correspondents will be thrilled - I have quite a stack of replies to get through so this red pen better be lightning quick! :)

Lady Onogaro
May 16th, 2014, 08:57 AM
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5480/12706066424_ac359a3698.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/kmMUSL)DSCN1257 (https://flic.kr/p/kmMUSL) by cwent2 (https://www.flickr.com/people/99367074@N04/), on Flickr

Now imagine it in purple. :)

Nomdeplume
May 16th, 2014, 09:30 AM
You are ALL evil enablers! I ordered one, as well....my 3rd Rembrandt?!😧
Had not been to Gold Spot before...ANOTHER supplier to add to my list!

My husband is a supporter...he does question yet-another-pen...but also asserts there could be worse addictions!

inlovewithjournals
May 16th, 2014, 09:34 AM
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5480/12706066424_ac359a3698.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/kmMUSL)DSCN1257 (https://flic.kr/p/kmMUSL) by cwent2 (https://www.flickr.com/people/99367074@N04/), on Flickr

Now imagine it in purple. :)

Ooooh purple!! You should post pictures!

inlovewithjournals
May 16th, 2014, 10:08 AM
You are ALL evil enablers! I ordered one, as well....my 3rd Rembrandt?!😧
Had not been to Gold Spot before...ANOTHER supplier to add to my list!

My husband is a supporter...he does question yet-another-pen...but also asserts there could be worse addictions!

Sorry Nomdeplume! Congrats on your third Rembrandt though. :) I'm glad there are such supportive husbands out there, including my own. And he's right, there could be MUCH worse addictions.

Lady Onogaro
May 16th, 2014, 01:47 PM
Not to enable anyone, but here's the Visconti I bought in purple (via Goldspot):

http://www.goldspot.com/Visconti_pens/Rembrandt/V-48243-F.html

Here's one I saw, too, but that ain't happen' (just saying). Dromgoole's said they would sell it to me for $595, but even at that, I cannot justify buying the pen and not paying the mortgage, lovely as it is. I can't see me ever moving much past the $100.00 price point (as she has begun to think about retiring in 10 years or so).

http://www.goldspot.com/Visconti_pens/Rembrandt/V-48243-F.html

Tracy Lee
May 16th, 2014, 04:38 PM
You are ALL evil enablers! I ordered one, as well....my 3rd Rembrandt?!😧
Had not been to Gold Spot before...ANOTHER supplier to add to my list!

My husband is a supporter...he does question yet-another-pen...but also asserts there could be worse addictions!

The folks at Goldspot are outstanding. I call and just ask questions about stuff, and they will talk to you all day. I called them once because the website wouldn't work and they didn't know they had an issue on their end and were so thankful a bottle Visconti ink got added to my order as a thank you. Love doing business with them, really good people.

My husband is the same, though he stopped wondering about "yet another pen" 20 Visconti's ago. :D

Llewellyn
May 16th, 2014, 04:54 PM
I have a purple Rembrandt - I love the colour although my wife hates purple with a passion that verges on pathological. She's also very supportive - she's not surprised when another Visconti shows up and she agrees if I tell her it's healthier (if not necessarily cheaper) than other potential addictions.

Newjelan
May 17th, 2014, 04:33 AM
That's a great deal. I have this set with the blue Rembrandt (I also have a purple Rembrandt with a M nib). The Italic is my standard "card writing" nib.

Jeph
May 17th, 2014, 08:14 AM
I would buy this is I had not exploded my pen budget recently. :( I will have to wait longer to get my first Italian pen. But I did sign up for their mailing list. :)

Silverbreeze
May 17th, 2014, 10:29 AM
Like Jeph, I don't have the budget right now. I have a gold spot Q. Do they often have deals on full sets like this?? That's a good deal on a set, and if they do this often I may need to start a goldspot fund :-)

Lady Onogaro
May 17th, 2014, 10:37 AM
Like Jeph, I don't have the budget right now. I have a gold spot Q. Do they often have deals on full sets like this?? That's a good deal on a set, and if they do this often I may need to start a goldspot fund :-)

I have only been subscribed for a few months, and this is the only set I have seen. I has been a single pen the last few months.

inlovewithjournals
May 17th, 2014, 10:30 PM
The folks at Goldspot are outstanding. I call and just ask questions about stuff, and they will talk to you all day. I called them once because the website wouldn't work and they didn't know they had an issue on their end and were so thankful a bottle Visconti ink got added to my order as a thank you. Love doing business with them, really good people.

My husband is the same, though he stopped wondering about "yet another pen" 20 Visconti's ago. :D

Thanks Tracy Lee; I'm glad I've made a purchase from such a great company. I'm sure it's the first of many. :)

inlovewithjournals
May 17th, 2014, 10:40 PM
Like Jeph, I don't have the budget right now. I have a gold spot Q. Do they often have deals on full sets like this?? That's a good deal on a set, and if they do this often I may need to start a goldspot fund :-)

I have only been subscribed for a few months, and this is the only set I have seen. I has been a single pen the last few months.

Like Lady Onogaro I have only been subscribed for a few months and all of the offers, except this one, have been for single pens. :)

Llewellyn
May 18th, 2014, 03:46 AM
OK, now you've all got me intrigued. I know nothing about calligraphy so please bear with me if these are silly questions. Can the nibs in the Rembrandt calligraphy set be used for normal writing or are they strictly for special calligraphic work? I assume the nibs are designed to produce a specific effect, so does it look strange if they are used for normal writing, and should their use be left to more 'artistic' pursuits, rather than run of the mill journal entries etc

I was thinking of picking one of these sets up just for a bit of variety.

Silverbreeze
May 18th, 2014, 06:28 AM
I am pretty sure they can be used in ways like a medium and broad italic. Can a wiser member confirm please

VertOlive
May 18th, 2014, 08:15 AM
I am pretty sure they can be used in ways like a medium and broad italic. Can a wiser member confirm please

Subcribed to yet another site now...

Bogon07
May 18th, 2014, 05:01 PM
OK, now you've all got me intrigued. I know nothing about calligraphy so please bear with me if these are silly questions. Can the nibs in the Rembrandt calligraphy set be used for normal writing or are they strictly for special calligraphic work? I assume the nibs are designed to produce a specific effect, so does it look strange if they are used for normal writing, and should their use be left to more 'artistic' pursuits, rather than run of the mill journal entries etc

I was thinking of picking one of these sets up just for a bit of variety.


The three nib set includes a normal steel M nib (or Rollergraphic) for everyday writing while the two nib set doesn't..
Both sets include these two nibs:
The EF English flex or 0.5 steel and the 1.5 italic steel can be used for both calligraphy & cursive.

Dr SBRE Brown has a detailed 22minute video describing all the contents of his LE Orange Calligraphy set.
(The magnetic pen holders can be removed as they are only held in place by a giant gloop of glue & then you can use them to cap your inked nibs more conveniently without having to stand them up in the box with the lid off.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBEXoeGXjw8

And Murfie you were correct - the 0.5 produces a slightly thinner horizontal line than vertical so I could imaginatively call it an italic but the same goes for the F & M nibs too.

inlovewithjournals
May 21st, 2014, 02:00 PM
Update: Received my box today! Have to send one of the nibs back though; it's much too small to fit the barrel. One nib fits perfectly; the other is super skinny and just rattles around in the barrel; it is not wide enough to catch the threads. I phoned Goldspot right away and as reported elsewhere in this thread, their customer service is excellent. I am to send the seemingly faulty nib back with the barrel and they will send me the correct one. The return shipment is on them and they will throw in two packages of ink cartridges.

Sad I can't use my new Visconti right away but happy Goldspot is willing to send me a new nib. I spoke to Asha and she said these sets come-prepacked from Visconti - hopefully other boxes contain the correct size nibs.

Bogon07
May 21st, 2014, 04:37 PM
inlovewithjournals - that is so disappointing & bizarre ! I hope your barrel and nib are back with you very soon.

Pity you had to send the barrel back too otherwise you could have used the other nib till the defective one was replaced.

What major goof-up by Visconti & the seller (who would I assume check the box before sending to make sure they are sending the two or three nib set as there is no indication on the box which one it is).

What colour ink did you get in the bottle ?

inlovewithjournals
May 21st, 2014, 07:40 PM
Yeah kinda disappointing but they were very good about it on the phone. Asha said the sets come straight from Visconti and they do not check them. Perhaps now they will ;)

I was thinking the same thing about the barrel - but she said they wanted to ensure they give me a nib that is a perfect fit.

The ink in the box is black. Lovely inkwell. Everything about the box is gorgeous - just need the right nib!

Silverbreeze
May 21st, 2014, 07:43 PM
Yeah kinda disappointing but they were very good about it on the phone. Asha said the sets come straight from Visconti and they do not check them. Perhaps now they will ;)

I was thinking the same thing about the barrel - but she said they wanted to ensure they give me a nib that is a perfect fit.

The ink in the box is black. Lovely inkwell. Everything about the box is gorgeous - just need the right nib!

I like mine. Will reuse that inkwell for my Kung Te-Cheng / Water mix

inlovewithjournals
May 24th, 2014, 01:48 PM
I put the nib and barrel in the post yesterday. We have a mailroom where I work and the friendly staff are great with these types of packages, both personal and business. I put everything in the envelope, along with the address label. Then had this exchange as a member of staff filled out the postal form:

"Is it returned merchandise?"
"Yes."
"What is it?"
"A pen."
"A what?"
"A pen."
"A pen?"
"Yes." She looked at me.
"Okay and what is the value of the item?"
I thought about how much it would be to replace the whole thing if this barrel got lost so I replied, "$120."
"WHAT??! For a pen??" Eyes very big.
"It's a special pen."

She: :crazy: Me: :thumb:

And then we had a great conversation about fountain pens!

cwent2
May 24th, 2014, 02:02 PM
"WHAT??! For a pen??" Eyes very big.

That is the exact reaction I received from Beth when I bought my Visconti Rembrandt Ivory pen.

Word!

Cw

inlovewithjournals
June 7th, 2014, 11:32 PM
Update: Nib with new section arrived on Friday and fits perfectly in the barrel. I wrote about it here (http://inlovewithjournals.wordpress.com/2014/06/07/the-visconti-is-home/). Very happy with my new pen! Thanks to everyone for the advice and support.

http://inlovewithjournals.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/pen-laying-on-orange-writing.jpg?w=529&h=705

Lady Onogaro
June 7th, 2014, 11:56 PM
It looks lovely. I love the ink you have used in the writing sample. I am glad you are happy with the purchase. I use my Visconti Rembrandt just about every day. The one I bought has a plastic section, too (well, plastic and metal at the top of the section). You may be able to customize the finial; Goldspot should be able to tell you. But perhaps the calligraphy set is a bit different. Your pen doesn't look much different than mine except that mine is purple.

Anyway, I hope you come to love it. The color is just beautiful.

inlovewithjournals
June 8th, 2014, 10:06 AM
Thank you Lady Onogaro and maybe I'm wrong about this being a budget version of a Rembrandt; it has been a while since I tried out a Rembrandt at my local pen shop. I'm going to journal with it every day for a bit so I'm sure I will fall in love with it. I already love the Orange Indien in it! :)

Silverbreeze
June 8th, 2014, 10:08 AM
I like the 0.5 mm nib best the 1.5 is just too wide for writing in my opinion

inlovewithjournals
June 8th, 2014, 11:23 AM
Silverbreeze based on my limited experience with the 1.5 I would have to agree with you.